The Minister for Works and Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, has announced a crackdown on encroachers around the Weija Dam, warning that anyone illegally occupying or carrying out activities near the dam will face decisive action.

The minister made the remarks during a tour of the dam on Wednesday, March 11, where he assessed the state of the area and observed growing concerns about human activities within the dam’s buffer zone.

Speaking to the media after the inspection, Mr Adjei said the government had taken note of several forms of encroachment, including building construction, farming, and sand-winning activities in areas meant to be protected.

“We’ve seen that there’s encroachment going on, and I’m sure when we move around, where we find the dam, you see that people are building, farmers are farming around, and from pictures too that we saw, we saw some winning activities also going on,” he said.

The minister emphasised that his ministry would not handle the issue alone but would collaborate with other key government agencies to halt further encroachment and enforce the law.

“So now, as a ministry, we are going to take it up. I’m going to engage my colleague, the Local Government Minister, who takes care of the local authorities,” he stated.

According to Mr Adjei, discussions would also be held with national security authorities to ensure stronger enforcement measures are implemented to protect the dam and its surrounding lands.

“We are going to sit down and talk seriously about it, and then I’m also going to have a discussion with the National Security Minister and their coordinator to see how best we can ensure that we don’t get further encroachment and those that have encroached already receive the kind of punitive measures we can put in place so that it will deter others from getting close,” he added.

The Weija Dam plays a crucial role in water supply and flood control within parts of the Greater Accra Region, making the protection of its buffer zone a critical national concern.